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Standout guard could transfer in a week

BLOOMINGTON -- Evan Gordon won't wait long. That much we know. The standout guard could be an Indiana Hoosier in a week or so. Or, perhaps a Butler Bulldog. Or, maybe, a Purdue Boilermaker. Or, well, you get the picture.

Up until a few days ago, Gordon was a 6-3, 200-pound double-figure-scoring Arizona State Sun Devil. Then, he decided to transfer and play his final college season close to his Indianapolis home.

The result? A lot of phone calls.

“My phone has been ringing off the hook,” he said. “It's the same with my dad. He's been handling it the most.”

Coaches, friends, family, the media -- you name it and somebody wanted to know what happened and what Gordon's plans were.

Here's what we know. Gordon is set to visit Indiana coaches today. He's talked with head coach Tom Crean and associate head coach Tim Buckley. He'll visit with the staff and check out the facilities, although he's already familiar with them given his brother, Eric, was an IU All-America in 2008.

The Hoosiers have a need at guard and an open scholarship in the wake of transfers by Maurice Creek and Remy Abell, and Victor Oladipo's decision to leave early and enter the NBA draft.

The opportunity at Butler just surfaced on Friday, Gordon said. He hopes to visit the school and coach Brad Stephens on Tuesday. He said he's also been in contact with Purdue coaches, but isn't certain when or if he will visit West Lafayette. He has to return to Arizona to finish moving back to Indianapolis.

“I'm not sure yet when I'll decide. Maybe next week, or the week after that at the latest, after I sit down, grasp everything and visit a couple of schools.”

Gordon was in Bloomington Friday night to watch his younger brother, Eron, play in the adidas May Classic at Twin Lakes Rec Center. Eron is wrapping up his freshman year at Indianapolis North Central. He's considered one of the nation's top players in the Class of 2016. Purdue and IU have already offered him.

Evan Gordon just graduated from Arizona State. As a result, he can transfer and play right away as long as he goes to a school that offers a graduate program Arizona State doesn't have.

“I'm looking for style of play, who they have and where I'd fit in on the team and with the coaching staff,” Gordon said. “There are a couple of dynamics I'm looking at.

“Me being in college, I know how everything works as far as school. If I come to Indiana, my brother has been down there. Butler is like two minutes from my house.

“I've already developed my game and my personality. It will be just learning the coaches and the schemes. That probably will be the hardest part.”

Gordon started his college career at Liberty University in Virginia. He averaged 12.0 points as a freshman and 14.4 points as a sophomore before transferring to Arizona State. Last season he started 25 of 35 games. He was the team's third-leading scorer at 10.1 points. He also averaged 2.9 rebounds and had 76 assists against 45 turnovers. He shot 39.1 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from three-point range.

Still, he wanted a chance to play closer to home. That wouldn't happen at Arizona State.

“It came about at the end of the (school) year. Me and my family discussed about me coming home and being able to play in front of my family. After being away from home for six years, to come home for one last season is special.”

Moving on to his third college will be challenging.

“It's a hard decision,” Gordon said. “One of the reasons I didn't want to leave Arizona was I moved from Liberty to Arizona. I had built a great relationship with the staff.

“But it was a family decision. We're a pretty close-knit family. I wanted to be closer to my family, see my little brother play and to have him be able to visit me in college.”

As for which school could be the best fit for him, Gordon said, “Indiana lost some players. I think I'd be able to help out anywhere, but Indiana is definitely a good option for me.